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x-x-lia-x-x · 6 years ago

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A Wild Rant + A Little Bit of Kookmin/Jikook

First, I want to say that this is just my opinion and I do not in any way claim it to be the truth, because how would I know? These are just my assumptions and you should not take my word for gospel, or anyone’s really. If you disagree feel free to let me know why in a polite way, maybe if you have good enough arguments I’ll agree with you. If you can’t do either of those, well, bye. I will not be providing video/photo “proof” in this post because what I’ve written is already WAY TOO LONG, but if you find something I’ve said particularly interesting and you’d like to know from where I got that info, please message me and I’ll send you a link to whatever information you need.

I’m going to address a few things in no particular order, I’ll kind of just follow my train of thought and I’ll try to edit as little as possible, as I’d like my thoughts to come out in the most honest way possible, even if they’re a little messy. That being said, I’ll address Jikook/Kookmin last, so if you’re here only for that, please skip to point No.6.

1. Heteronormativity

This elephant is taking quite a lot of space, so let me address it first. Many people, be it shippers or non-shippers, say that Jungkook is straight and we should stop assuming. Alright, but then aren’t those people also assuming that Jungkook is straight too?

See, it is true that we, in fact, are assuming that Jungkook is possibly gay or maybe bisexual. I say POSSIBLY, because we are not excluding that he MIGHT as well be straight and we could be wrong. And this is where the difference comes, we are INCLUDING all possibilities because none of us know for sure, while others EXCLUDE any other possibility than Jungkook being straight. In the end of the day we all choose the possibility that makes the most sense to us, individually.

That’s why we have so many ships and people who disapprove of any sort of ships. Ultimately though, there is only one truth and none of us know it, but we all can take an educated guess about it. This is where what you want to believe in and what the facts say start to differ. Are you able to tell the difference between seeing what you want to see and seeing what’s actually happening? Sometimes it’s hard to accept that what we want to happen (especially when it’s not up to us in any way) is practically impossible. So, when no one knows the ultimate truth and everyone has a different idea of what the truth is, what do we do? RESPECT EACH OTHER.

No matter who is wrong or right, there is absolutely no need to be at each other’s throats. Would you really rather insult and put someone down because of something none of you is certain in? Tsk, tsk. This brings me to my second point, somewhat.

2. Fanfictions All of us have a right to daydream/write fanfictions about the things we like, no one has the right to tell you it’s wrong or that you should stop it, or that it’s not true.

But there is one huge BUT. Fanfictions ARE NOT, in any way, “proof” of ANYTHING. There’s a reason why they’re called FANFICTIONS. Let’s say you’re reading a fanfiction about a ship, any ship, and then you think to yourself “OMG this is just like *insert ship name here*”. NO. Trust me, that is NOT just like *insert ship name here, again*.

Fanfictions, despite being based on real events and people, are still a fictional work and the people in it ARE CHARACTERS. We have to always remember that. Fanfictions contribute a lot to how we see a certain person and that is wrong. A character is a character and a real person is a real person. When you’re writing about someone you haven’t even met, keep in mind that YOU HAVEN’T EVEN MET THEM. The way their characters are in a fictional work may be the complete opposite of how they are in real life. Again, your idea of someone’s personality that you haven’t even met, comes from how YOU WANT to see them. The less we know someone, the more likely we’ll build their personality based on our own preferences and assumptions. So, for the life of me, please do not take fanfictions as “proof” how a person actually is. If it sounds like something the real person would do, ask yourself "Would they really or is just because I picture them to be that way?“.

So, let’s talk about from where we get these ideas of how their real personalities are.

3. On/Off camera behavior

It is no secret that idols in general act slightly (or very) different in front of a camera. It’s not only in front of camera though, depending on the environment and social circle we are in, EVERYONE acts different.

BTS themselves have admitted that when they release content, be it a music video, a run episode, a performance, they want it to be perfect, they want to show us their better selves or simply make the content as entertaining for us as possible. Now, I’m not saying that they are not being themselves while doing that, I’m saying that they act different from when they’re, let’s say, out having a dinner with a friend. Being different in camera doesn’t mean they’re lying to us about who they are, they’re simply showing us different parts of themselves.

When you’re in front of a camera or a lot of people are watching you and focusing only on you, you would naturally become self-conscious. You’d be aware of your actions more than ever. Let’s say you’re giving a speech, would you start picking your nose while standing in front of people who’s focus is solely on you? This is just an example of course, but I want to help you understand me better. What I’m saying is, BTS, or any idol, naturally is self-aware and acts differently in front of camera or while receiving a lot of attention, we’re not seeing 100% of them and basing our ideas of their personalities only on what we’re allowed to see is wrong. They are real people and most certainly have sides to of them that we haven’t seen, and whether we’ll see them or not is up to them. All we can do is assume how they are when the attention isn’t on them, unless we have solid proof, be it something they said they do off camera or a photo they shared. The only solid proof I would ever consider about how they are off camera are things that THEY THEMSELVES have CHOSEN to share.

Environment matters, social circle matters. As Jungkook sings "There are tens of thousands of me inside of me.” So how much do we actually know about Jungkook? Or any of them? We probably know less than 1/10 of who they are. To know someone 100% would require that you’ve spent an exceptional amount of time with them, seen them in tens of thousands of situations and their reactions to them. And even that might not be enough.

Moving on.

4. Fanservice

Now that we’ve made clear that we don’t see 100% of our idols, let’s talk about what we DO see. It is no secret that fanservice (fanservice: saying/doing certain things for the sole purpose of pleasing/giving fans exactly what they want) is a key marketing strategy in the Korean pop industry. We all know that EVERY K-pop group in existence does/has done this. This is a tricky one for me to talk about, but I’ll try my best.

Fanservice is common and sometimes entire ships are created just for the fanservice. Rookie groups, in my opinion, are the groups that do most fanservice. As a new group with zero experience behind their back, the number one purpose of the group is to gain as many fans as possible, as quickly as possible, so it’s no surprise that they do it more than groups who have already established themselves and have huge fanbases behind their backs.

Now, in Asia ships are mostly just that - fanservice. Especially countries like South Korea and Japan. They like the ships, they know it’s fanservice and almost next to no one think “omg they’re gay” when the groups do fanservice for them. No one thinks much of it, they just enjoy it. But here’s the thing, K-pop has gained MASSIVE attention internationally in the past few years, especially BTS. Even so, the international fans are new in this fan culture that Asia has developed down to the T.

International fans struggle to differentiate between what is fanservice and what is not. Many of them take the ships so seriously that they become threatened by other ships. Ship fandoms constantly accuse each other’s ship of it being “just fanservice”. It’s the most common excuse out there. And it’s not just the “shippers” who use it, but also the people who’d like to believe that their favorite idols are as straight as arrows, when in reality we can’t know that 100%. But let’s go back a bit.

BTS being as popular as they are now, the biggest boy band on the planet currently, doesn’t really NEED to do fanservice. So why do it? Of course, they want to please their fans, but is really everything we see JUST fanservice? We HAVE to consider that things that MIGHT be fanservice to US might NOT be fanservice to THEM, and vice versa. I mean, I may not be 100% right, but I’d like to think that I can detect and differentiate the fanservice from the secret touches and glances that Jungkook and Jimin steal from each other (but I’ll get to this and more later), and what is just platonic friendship between the members in a culture that is physically and emotionally more open that the one I’ve grown up to. With this being said…..

I don’t want to type the word “fanservice” ever again. Let’s talk about cultural behavior now.

5. Culture

First off, I’ve never studied South Korean culture and I am no expert, but my opinion is NOT based on k-dramas, trust me, I’ve read quite a lot from different sources because of my own interests, as I do actually plan to study on this subject later on in university. I don’t actually have a lot to say about this and I’ll make it as simple as possible, since you’d probably be better off finding materials on this on your own. Anyways, let’s get to the point.

Skinship. In Korea, the term “skinship” is used to describe the act of intimate, non-sexual touching between very close (Usually same-sex, but can include both genders.) platonic friends. It involves acts such as holding hands/arms, hugging, and kissing on the cheeks (yes, I did just copy and paste this from urban dictionary, I’m human too). As you probably know by now, something like skinship isn’t really common in the Western countries. I believe that the younger international fans struggle to grasp what skinship really is and what it means within the boundaries of the South Korean culture, and some fans, who know about it all-too-well, automatically eliminate every actions of affection as skinship between friends, because it is common for them.

This is kind of like the “Is it fanservice or not” situation. Which, again, we can’t be 100% sure about as we don’t know with what intention in mind these people do skinship. But even for Koreans, there are things that are WAY TOO INTIMATE to be be just skinship between friends, which is why so many Korean fans are freaking out over Jungkook and Jimin (again, I’ll get into this later on).

Skinship is also a common excuse AND defence for various ships. Actually, all ships. Like I already said, since we don’t know idols in person, it makes it even more difficult to tell with what intention they show affection, keep that in mind and observe closer. True, some physical contacts that may seem too intimate to us may just a normal way to act with a close friend, but there’s intimacy and then there’s INTIMACY.

Romantic relationships are ultimately universal and work with the same foundation, so if you look for that pattern it’s not THAT hard to tell when two people are just friends and when they light up the world for each other.

And the moment you all have been waiting for - Jikook/Kookmin (Jungkook&Jimin) 6. Jikook/Kookmin - Where do I even begin? Let’s try applying the previous 5 points to Kookmin. Everything I’ve written until now and everything that follows is purely my opinion, keep that in mind. What are Jungkook and Jimin’s sexualities? Who the fudge knows?

But Jungkook as mentioned Troye Sivan (an openly gay artists) as his favorite (yes, I know about IU, but he hasn’t mentioned her recently, so….). He fanboys over Charlie Puth and not to mention how excited the boy gets when he witnesses a same-sex kiss (Heize & Bolbbangan4; Hoseok & Tae; Jin & Namjoon…). Do I need to go on?

And what about Jimin? This duality king openly drools over muscular men. What more do you want me to say?

Now let’s think about the fact that Jungkook grew through his teen years into his adulthood around this incredibly attractive person called Jimin, who constantly expressed his adoration and affection for Jungkook. An individual, who jokingly or not, implied that he and Jungkook are in a romantic relationship together (so this thought has definitely crossed his mind in some sort of way), an individual who always takes pride in taking care of Jungkook the most among other members, an individual who openly stated that he will follow Jungkook to the moon. An individual, who till this day, runs to Jungkook in a second at the slightest sign of Jungkook’s discomfort. Ladies and gentleman, Park Jimin.

But let’s talk a little bit more about Jimin’s subject of adoration. A boy that used to be so shy around Jimin, he’s push him away because he’s flustered. A boy that used to tease his hyung so much, but ultimately admitted it’s because he likes that hyung. A boy that, now, grabs every opportunity he gets to make Jimin smile or laugh. A boy that is strongly competitive, but would rather let Jimin win. A boy that beats a hyung 5 years his senior without mercy, but treats Jimin as he’s the most delicate flower in his universe. A boy that slowly shook off his shyness and openly expresses his adoration for Jimin, instead of pushing him away. A boy that Jimin saw grow into a man. A man, who took him on a birthday trip, paid for it and made an intimate video, that he later chose to share with the world, to show everyone what Jimin means to him. A man that is now confident and proud. A man that can protect Jimin. A man that can comfort Jimin. A man that not only accepts Jimin’s attention and affection now, but returns it. Jeon Jungkook.

If you wonder why do I believe that they have a special relationship, that may as well be romantic or even more than that, it’s because can you even imagine them dating someone else but acting THAT way with each other? Would their significant other just sit and accept all that intimacy between them? Can you imagine your partner being that intimate and spending that much time with someone else?

Jungkook and Jimin have been living together for approximately 7 years. Not only did they use to sleep in the same room, they practiced together, ate together, rode one car together. They come from the same city, Jimin has a brother the same age as Jungkook and Jungkook has a brother the same age as Jimin. Those things alone are already a major factor to help you bond with someone when you live in apartment with 6 other people each with very different personalities. Then again, BTS got successful, they were given time for rest, time to see their families. You’d think that 7 people who spend at least 80% of their time together would want some time away from each other once in a while. Well, not Jimin and Jungkook. They spend every free minute they have together, go on trips together, or stay in Seoul together when everyone else is visiting their families.

In front of the camera? I mean, sure some of it is fanservice, but all? In the middle of a concert, while you’re performing in front of thousands and thousands of people, pumped with adrenaline, is fanservice what they think about? Or is it more likely that they’re lost in the moment, their actions inspired by what they’re feeling right there and then? Decide for yourself. Even Korean ARMYs have noticed how unusual and intimate their relationship is. Yes, Korean ARMYs who know the true meaning of fanservice think that there’s something more when it comes to Jikook/Kookmin. Yes, Korean ARMYs who understand skinship better than any of us do, because it originates from their culture, say that there’s something MORE to Jikook/Kookmin. Well, or most of them anyways. And what about the numerous instances that have happened off camera but Jikook/Kookmin have talked about on camera? Or all the odd coincidences? People used to say that they probably don’t spend ALL of their time together off camera, but when the Love Yourself in Seoul DVD came out, which contains a video from the behind scenes of the preparations for the concert, there was not A SINGLE scene where these two were not seen together. And this isn’t a video that was shot in one day. It was most likely shot in WEEKS for the preparation for their world tour. And how many times during this world tour have we “heard” fans saying they saw Jimin and Jungkook here or there, eating or shopping?

In the future I believe I’ll write a lot more about Kookmin and it will most likely be A LOT MORE detailed than this, but this post is already getting long enough. I just wanted to share my thoughts on these 5 important points for now and apply them to this particular… couple, because to me they’re not just a simple ship. This is my first post and I’d like to write more about other things concerning this as well, but my thoughts are like a train that never stops, so I’ll have to be careful and take it step by step. I hope you’ll be looking forward to those, if you’re interested. Sorry for the long read. If you’d like to ask me something or discuss something I’ve said, please feel free to message me. I’m not turning down anyone. Except haters, because who has time for that?

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